THERE’S A BAKERY located along Tudor Street, one of the busiest streets leading into The City. It has been there for almost a year, and some people consider it one of the street’s best kept secrets.
Baked Betters does not have a flashing neon sign beckoning cake and pastry lovers to come hither, but the aroma that filters across the air tickling the nostrils and whetting the appetite is enough.
Chief executive officer (CEO) J. Duncan Evanson and his team plan to work hard to ensure its success given customer feedback on its cakes and pastries.
Operating for a year this month, the plant has had some “growing pains” as with any new business. But having seen the potential they will continue to push through to grow stronger.
While Evanson is in charge of the overall business, his dad Jeff Evanson manages the day-to-day operations with a staff of about ten employees.
His dad was in the bakery business before starting the company and when the opportunity came for them to start their own, they grabbed it.
“I’m an entrepreneur by choice. I’m always looking for opportunities. Even when my father was working at Yvonne’s, I looked at the way that business operated and its potential. In no uncertain terms, if there was an opportunity for an investment as far as that business was concerned, I would want to explore it.
“The opportunity came when they wanted to part with one of their outlets. We analysed it, liked what we saw and decided to go for it,” he said.
Evanson noted that while his parents never told him or insisted that he and his sister own their own businesses, what they exposed them to led him to becoming an entrepreneur.
“But I’m not averse to working for someone. I think that if you work for someone, you should give them everything you’ve got and treat the business as if it’s your own.
“I recognise the value of being entrepreneurial in the way I operate financially.
“But the potential for growth is a lot greater if I’m working for myself or if I’m working for profit, as opposed to exchanging time for money.
“From that perspective, I would say my parents exposed me to things that drove me in that direction,” the CEO stated.
Baked Betters officially started in September last year. Since then, customers have been enjoying its meat rolls, scones and currant slices. The jam puffs, however, are the “big sellers”.
“It is those pastries that we get very, very, very good response to. And customers realise they’re not just good, they’re better,” he said.
One of the areas that Evanson will pay greater attention to is “hitting the market with the brand and making sure that’s a very strong thing”.
This requires a level of investment they will have to undertake and work their way through, so for now they post photos on their Facebook page.
“Within two years, we want to make sure that our name is very well known in Barbados and this would be the biggest thing we want to have achieved: to ensure that all of our stuff is branded really strongly, people know how and where where to find us to get what they want. That is what we want,” said the Harrison College alumnus.
Christmas 2015 was a “pretty busy” period for Baked Betters, it was not “amazing” but with that in mind Evanson and the team intend to make 2016 better.
“With that being our first Christmas working together, it was decent, but we definitely can pinpoint a few ways that this Christmas will be a lot better,” he added.
Moving forward, he will not rule out having their baked treats sold in supermarkets, but Evanson prefers to provide pastries for a smaller shop and that door-to-door service offered through the bread vans.
“The vans are a massive part of what we do in terms of people getting in a van and going into a community and selling bread and pastries to people.
“That is more where we’re focussed at this point and as I said I’m not averse to anything that could enhance the profitability of the operation,” the CEO said.
As for his baking experience, he said: “I love how they taste. I know about business, I don’t know about baking.
“I’m learning obviously . . .” Evanson said before chuckling. (GBM)
